Summer of mystery at library

By Mark E. Crepp, Ledger Staff

Friday

Jun 8, 2007 at 12:01 AM

ELLWOOD CITY - A library is full of mysteries. This summer, the reading program at the Ellwood City Area Public Library will offer plenty of interactive mysteries as well as some family fun with the theme of "Get a Clue @ the Library."

ELLWOOD CITY - A library is full of mysteries.

This summer, the reading program at the Ellwood City Area Public Library will offer plenty of interactive mysteries as well as some family fun with the theme of "Get a Clue @ the Library."

"Summer is a time of fun, and at the same time, we don't want (young patrons) to lose the reading skills they are learning in school," library Director Veronica Pacella said. "This is a fun way to keep on track."

The summer program continues to grow each year - going from 25 individual programs just a few years ago to 36 now. They range from Wednesday sessions for children in kindergarten through third grade to a puppet workshop, storytimes for dads, family movie nights and a picnic.

"It becomes bigger and more activity-filled each year," Pacella said.

"It's a wonderful program," she said. "Public libraries have realized what has to be done - being a source and center of activity within the community - and it certainly is that."

The "Get a Clue" theme will be observed at each event, including the Wednesday morning sessions for kids in kindergarten through the third grade.

In addition to a mystery, there will be short presentations, a craft and a game. Topics will include "solve it," with fingerprinting, "puzzle it out," with codes and ciphers, and "dig it up," featuring Egyptian artifacts and dinosaur bones. Another theme will be "find it," focusing on mysteries such as the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot.

On July 18, the Slippery Rock Sliders minor-league baseball team will conduct a presentation titled "stealing bases."

The popular puppet theater workshop offers the chance to write and perform in a mystery performance using the library's large collection of puppets and marionettes assembled over the years by Nancy Wallace, the library's youth services coordinator.

Family nights will feature family-oriented mystery films as well as a mystery picnic on July 20. This is coupled with the family film fest, which is also free and open to everyone in the community.

Book discussion groups have continued to grow, with two being offered this summer - one for "just girls" and the other for boys and girls. Lunch is offered with both.

About 150 area children have participated in the summer reading program, and the number of books read has continued to increase, with about 2,300 completed in 2006.

The community has been very supportive, Wallace said, noting that the local McDonald's restaurant stepped forward to provide free meal certificates to each child who has read 10 books during the program.

Book discussion groups are also very successful and are offered throughout the year. These groups are the "most rewarding," Wallace said. Participants also get a bonus of keeping the book they have read. She said she has read 17 books before deciding on the six books that will be used during the summer program.

"We try to make it a lot of fun," Wallace said about the library's summer programs.

To register for any of the programs, call the library at (724) 758-6458.

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